The New York Central in 1928-1929

[@amtrak706]

This original sound is an absolute treasure! So many releases of old railroad footage have badly dubbed audio that this really stands out. This is some incredibly rare stuff - thanks for posting it!

[@iSkiedMarsYesterday]

Is this original audio? If so, that's fantastic. I assumed it was dubbed like most other railroad footage I've seen haha

[@keithm5224]

The whistles sound fantastic! Apparently this was recorded with "Fox Movietone" which was an early way of recording both audio and video. So this is completely authentic. They should have recorded some Pennsy steam with this.

[@bhomas_real]

@@keithm5224 I agree

[@trustyoldiron5416]

That was one of the major things I noticed about this, the exhaust blasts actually line up with the connecting rod position. So most of the audio is probably genuine.

[@RockinRob69]

*Pretty high quality for 90 years ago!*

[@NotSoCrazyNinja]

Pretty high quality for even 40 years ago.

[@FentonWorksDE]

Because it’s shot on film ;)

[@surythecat9993]

Pretty high quality for 100 years ago!

[@thelasthallow]

film actually has a higher resolution than you might think, when they were re mastering the film for star trek TNG to go from analogue to digital they said the film actually has enough resolution to go well above 4K, but you need super expensive equipment to convert it over.

[@Ass_Burgers_Syndrome]

@thelasthallow Yeah I saw a video about it, and Voyager looked shit by comparison cos they shot it all on videotape

[@BradfordPost]

My grandfather was a conductor on the New York Central in the 40's 50's and early 60's. he retired in 1963,when I was 5years old.

[@patw7945]

So was my Dad.

[@ВасилийДударов]

👍это Круто!

[@b3j8]

Nobody in my immediate family worked for the railroad. But as a teenage railfan in the early 1970's I was lucky to meet quite a few from those eras! Most are no longer w/us sadly. Man talk about the stories! LOL

[@Mouzekiller83]

almost 100 yrs ago...how can you not be amazed to watch this?!

[@gregd3551]

So cool. Those steam whistles..............a sound we'll never hear again in daily life.

[@BrazilianSoldier100]

This is a great footage. The original audio makes it even better!

[@Conductor2]

7:33 - This looks like the engine is at the far west side of Harmon - maybe coming off of the turntable - with the sand hillside of Croton Point in the background 8:21 - All of these shots are at Oscawanna Tunnel - one view looking north (westward) towards Crugers curve - and one of a local train making a brief stop at Oscawanna Station, before being overtaken by an express.

[@petermot645]

Wow, to see a steam engine on a Manhattan street is crazy. Just amazing !

[@hojoinhisarcher]

First time I have heard an accurate rendition of 2 freight locos in a yard,4:56.Sound was a new thing then and the technicians were experimenting.So glad you uploaded this.The scattacto pulsing into and out of phase was the hypnotic spell of my very young boyhood.We lived next to Dominion Bridge in Toronto in the late 40s- 50s .There was so much postwar work then they had those yard engines into the evening.Many the night they lulled me to sleep.

[@milehighkit4725]

These films are absolutely priceless! Thank you for finding and posting.

[@wyocoloexperience7025]

Amazing. I love historical films that capture everyday live. Things that were so common in the late 1920's look extraordinary nowadays. Could you imagine seeing a traffic jam of 1920's vehicles waiting for a steam locomotive pass?

[@Redlod79]

In 21st century Manhattan!

[@larrybiring]

I grew up with the New York Central My dad worked as a Senior Passenger Agent in St. Louis. This brings back many memories . Starched linen and starched jackets in the Dining car. Thank you so much.

[@tommytruth7595]

Everything was first class on the NY Central.

[@jamesfracassejr9030]

Train of dreams

[@jeffersonspace]

Seeing this through my parents eyes. Dad, and Mom grew up in Mechanicville, and Herkimer, NY respectively. Thank You!

[@oldenweery7510]

Very nice! The images are quite clear, without the heavy contrast of other early films that blacks out details. Also, the shutter speed is adjusted so we see the action as it would've been seen at the time, with projection speed to match the hand-cranked speed of the photographers. Even the out-takes are valuable in capturing the reality of the era. Thanks!

[@rimodeler7963]

Excellent sound film. This was railroading!! I really enjoy these clips and appreciate the effort that has gone into preserving the images. Thank you for sharing! Mike

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Credit for preservation goes to the MIRC at the University of South Carolina. They negotiated with Fox for the rights to the outtakes, then did a good job digitizing the old nitrate film.

[@nickdelcos9785]

Well said!

[@EmilyTienne]

What a gem! Love the sound, so rare for the late twenties. Love the old cars, train whistle, billowing steam, policeman, Manhattan scene. What I’d give to be able to go back and live just one day during that era.

[@allegheny48]

What a wonderful look into the past. I especially loved the scene at around 6:44 where the switcher's engineer imitated the cameraman by making the cranking motion with his arm accompanied by a big grin. Yes, those old cameras were hand cranked. The operator knew just how fast to crank the mechanism for the action he was recording. Thanks for posting this.

[@DrRichtoffen1]

allegheny48 ?

[@keithm5224]

Matt Patt whats to not understand

[@johnsmyth3127]

If this was indeed a Fox Movietone original film, the camera was not handcranked (as were most of the silent newsreel cameras at that time), but used a motor run from a battery that also powered the amplifier for the Aeolite recording system in the camera. An example of such a camera (from the Movietone News unit in Sydney, Australia in 1929) could be seen at the Cayuga Museum in Auburn, NY. Theodore Case was the inventor of the Fox-Case sound recording system, developed in the 1920s, and the one best suited to newsreel operation because the sound recording system could be built into the camera. The Case Mansion on Genesee became the home of the Cayuga Museum, at the rear of which is the former greenhouse which became the Case Research Laboratories. They hold much of the history of the development of the Fox-Case Movietone System, which remained in use from 1927 into the 1940's.

[@hojoinhisarcher]

@@johnsmyth3127 Thanks so much for this. Pure and simple drama of the ordinary into another universe from today.I am looking here because of the Mitchell Kenyon archive that was recently opened of likewise extraordinary British film from 30 years previous to this that was hand cranked.

[@Sugarmountaincondo]

Awesome footage as is the sound track. The Boxcab #1904 at 6:10 is a fantastic rare catch!! Thanks for posting this :)

[@willicr]

Many thanks from a British train buff. Old trains and old autos - fantastic.

[@pcz5233]

This footage should be preserved in the Library of Congress. Absolutely amazing look at history with such great film quality and clearity. The old trucks at 6:00 were a nice bonus.

[@dhw314]

I lived in the village of Castleton from 1979-2009 and that railroad bridge is still being used. and next to it is the thruway bridge

[@JeffDeWitt]

Thanks, I was wondering about that. I just looked it up, it opened in 1924 and is currently the southernmost bridge carrying freight traffic over the Hudson. Wiki also states that the bridge at Poughkeepsie used to be the southernmost bridge until it was damaged by a fire. That actually seems odd, that bridge is now part of a trail system, I crossed it on foot a month or so ago, and it's a VERY substantial bridge!

[@dknowles60]

That bridge will out last the Thruway bridge

[@davidimhoff5571]

Wow this was great to watch. I miss steam trains. It's so interesting to see what the landscape looked in 1928

[@ottojabelman5334]

That. Is. Incredible! That is one of the best recordings I have ever heard of a steam locomotive -- and other sounds. Wow..... Just Wow..... And the 603's whistle is the most beautiful steamboat whistle I have EVER heard!! I had NO IDEA they could sound so beautiful and musical!! And the 603's stack talk is incredible! Very powerful and square as a die! O. Winston Link was a genius, and I am beyond glad that his photographs and recordings have been preserved. Happy 60th anniversary of this spectacular recording being made! Speed Graphic Film and Video -- Thank you very, very much for for this incredible footage! What a wonderful Christmas present!

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

This comment may be referring to this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnjHo6d3oMRqfJo

[@hulk7272]

This is absolutely AWESOME footage!!! Thank you for posting.

[@berkshireerielocomotive3322]

This is a real gem of a video. Captured the day in that era perfectly. Especially the intersection scene. Quite funny the engineer mocking the cameraman's motion as the engine rolled by.

[@stuffnva]

I like the hogger imitating the cameraman at 6:42.

[@mikespillman3075]

ya, that was kinda priceless....

[@merccadoosis8847]

@stuff ~ did not now the term "hogger" until now. For more such lingo: www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/glossry1.Html so good to know!

[@tanktimeboomtime3507]

stuffnva lol

[@thejerseyj1636]

That was funny. Gotta love them "Old timers".

[@amberlantern9328]

My Grandfather always refered to cabooses by the old fashioned nick name, Crummy, or Crummies.

[@Fyodor48]

Truly a more elegant time to be alive. Sincere thanks for a wonderful upload.

[@amtrakjohn]

Thank you for this one, (and the others in your series) like the "Retiring NYC Engineer in 11/29." They are all jewels of early 20th century railroading. Subscribed!

[@b3j8]

That had to be one cold ride hand-cranking a movie camera on top of the tender while running along at 20-30 mph! But I like best the scene where the cop directs traffic at that intersection incl the steam switcher! This footage is absolutely priceless!

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

I also thought about how cold it must have been on top of that tender. I also thought about what it must have been like trying to hold on, especially across the bridge. Maybe that's why the other crossing was taken from inside a caboose...

[@b3j8]

Yeah makes sense. It fascinates me that they were simply filming something that, to them, must have been every-day boring stuff in that era!

[@jeffdetwiler]

Simply incredible the scene in NY.... One crossing "officer" controlling a "massive" flow of traffic. Almost 100 years ago. OSHA would be freaking out these days~! thank you for this glimpse into the glorious history of steam!

[@exempligratia101]

I bet that any foolish driver would have an accident when you add a heavy steam locomotive right into traffic nowadays.

[@thejerseyj1636]

Can you imagine trying to run a train in Manhattan nowadays?

[@hanschenk2708]

WHAT A GREAT VIDEO WENT BACK IN TIME

[@versianimoreira]

Incredible images and sounds, an absolute treasure! Thx from Brazil.

[@neil6958]

The preservation of these films is great!!

[@JRNipper]

This is great, and with natural sound...what a rarity! Thanks for posting.

[@davegriffin9083]

Utterly fascinating, thank you for sharing our history.

[@jayski9410]

It's wonderful to get a look back in time. I grew up in the Hudson Valley and the winter footage makes me remember why I now live in Los Angeles. But I used to ride those rails from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Terminal all the time in the 1960's and 70's.

[@pizzanpepsi]

The quality is amazing, photographers did a great job. Thanks for sharing!!

[@toolsteel8482]

Awesome footage,the cameraman’s focus on people and their mannerisms is superb, a time capsule ! In the street running scene I noticed a Grand trunk western automobile boxcar, must have had two model “T”s in it. Also, the cube like containers in the gondola were ,I believe,an early intermodal item. You can really see the super-elevation in the curved track; those passenger cars had a pretty good lean. And they sure kept that jointed rail nice and level.

[@peckelhaze6934]

Absolutely superb footage.

[@davidhardy879]

Wonderful , evocative footage !! Thank you so much for sharing !

[@deanberolzheimer4400]

I love watching this stuff, excellent job, thank you. My moms was born in 1928, she is still alive, it's amazing to think that this is what it was like when she was born. Terrific, thanks again!

[@Wilma1529]

How lovely life was back then. Hope you can post more. Many Thanks!

[@thestanable]

Love the grin on the cop and drivers face at 6:40/6:45 thanks.

[@oldenweery7510]

"Look, Ma, I'm in the movin' pichers!" He sure likes to acknowledge the photographer's presence.

[@JonatanGronoset]

80 years, almost a century ago... Great audio quality as well!

[@aguirre377]

JonatanGronoset, New There are 92!

[@joelee662]

Just watched your video what a great video the buildings the old cars the people the way they were dressed the old trains thank you for bringing this video out 👍🇺🇸

[@SunriseKing-Raven]

Woww... amazing vid filmed 90 years ago! How cool! THX very much!

[@immaggiethesenilegoldenret7918]

Very cool! We used to live near the deactivated tracks of the old NY Central in Putnam County, NY..think my Mom was two when this was filmed!

[@TheNortheastAl]

Subwaygirl NYC I live there as well and remember finding a large piece of coal on the rail bed back in the late 1980s.

[@Raptorman0909]

That was amazing. I would love to see an old film of trains crossing the now re-purposed Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge of the Hudson. The line in the east of the bridge went by within 1/4 mile of my house and I remember the trains growing up. The line was abandoned about 1980 and has since become a Rail Trail for walkers and cyclists. I would love to see film of trains crossing the Hudson at Poughkeepise.

[@GermanShepherd1983]

The golden age of steam. Nothing will ever be like it again

[@exempligratia101]

5:27 Imagining how ludicrous it would be to have a steam engine/ Diesel engine street running in modern day New York.

[@RDnAC]

Wonder what street that is

[@ericjamieson]

Back then people got killed on NYC streets by trains on a regular basis. That's why they built the west side line and the high line.

[@ss04to06]

@@RDnAC I am going to assume it is where the High Line is today.

[@fredblonder7850]

They had that in Baltimore in the 1960s. I remember riding in the back seat of a car. We stopped at a traffic-light and a diesel locomotive pulled to a stop right behind us.

[@sunnyormsby2654]

Thoroughly Enjoyed! Thanks you for posting!

[@j.j.foster7002]

This is some wonderful video and audio...thanks for sharing this!

[@slicaltimistic1]

Ahhh. The good old days. I need to watch more of these. This is historically fascinating.

[@oldenweery7510]

What a wonderful look into the past---with sound!!

[@bluecollarguy67]

Just about every posted discovery of film taken in the 1920's and 1930''s just fascinates me to no end. I've always been drawn to the America of those two decades, whether from reading material, movies, photographs, etc... Those were times of great and growing prosperity which collapsed in 1929, followed by almost a full decade of depression and hardship for most of the country.

[@christersvensson4948]

Yes, what a treasure...as always one wonders over urbanization and industrialization for example around Castleton 1929 compared to today's map and what traces one still can find from late 19th century...as I understand it there are many local historians who have done underestimated work to protect the old New York and help us interpret the remnants that are still there. Great upload!!!

[@LibertyRailfan]

Wow fantastic video thank you for sharing thank you again and Merry Christmas..

[@hankaustin7091]

LOVE these vintage railroad videos!!

[@juancarlosmora9922]

Man what time to be alive

More amazing videos thanks for sharing

[@AustNRail]

Thank you for this priceless gem

[@paulmanero6448]

Great piece of history. Thanks!

[@danw6014]

My dad got to be engineer for an hour on the Pere Marquette 1225 located in Owasso Michigan. He first had to get his steam boiler operator license. It was one of the highlights of his life. Just think that 92 years ago the fastest way to travel across the country was by a steam locomotive. Probably the most convenient mode of transportation was a model A Ford.

[@TheDanno81]

Great video! Thank you!

[@kriskrysler]

Salute, to the cinematographer ! This footage was shot when the Go Pro inventors grandfather must have been in his teens !

[@coreypage2851]

Beautiful video of a wonderful bygone era. Thanks for sharing.

[@travelingman484]

Always enjoy your great videos. I’m from Pennsylvania and enjoy especially vids from Pennsylvania’s yesteryears. Thank you.

[@roscoefoofoo]

Amazing footage! Thanks.

[@obtucewillie]

That bridge is friggin huge!

[@jacksons1010]

Willie That bridge is still there. It’s the Alfred H. Smith Memorial Bridge. Quite new at the time this was filmed.

[@pietersleght8235]

you mean huuuuuuuuuuuuuge

[@alb12345672]

yeah it is by the selkirk thruway exit rt 144

[@mattberg6785]

Imagine the efforts it took to build something like that in that era. Incredible

[@davewerner7471]

I walked across that bridge

[@markmccummins8049]

Outstanding, considering that these images are from 1928 and ‘29. Well done.

[@Rickimusic]

Wow, look at the car shakes, even on a bridge.

[@pollyhorlander7389]

This is sooo cool! Thank you!

[@rvnmedic1968]

Great footage, especially from the top of one of those box cars! A daring shot.

[@railfanbryan7225]

Awesome!! Incredibly clear quality!

[@DrBIeed]

Amazing footage. Actual sound and everything. Weird to think my grandpa was only 4 years old.

[@hankshwank9113]

What a great video!!! I loved the old cars and trucks too.

[@magmathon2]

A true window into the past as seen like a normal day of operation. I only wish there were more films around the world of theses daily masterpiece.

[@olivefritz]

Thanks for sharing.

[@joeosborn123]

Amazing to think that my late father, who grew up there, was already 11 years old when these were filmed.

[@tayhayinthewind8386]

Fantastic video!

[@judydavenport9636]

I love hearing the crackle of the audio.

[@gw5033]

Back in those days my Dad was 3 and my grandfather was a conductor for the CNR.

[@adamhinkle7982]

Thanks for sharing these! I build Bowser ho scale steam locomotive kits and the K series Pacific is one I am currently working on. This is the only film I have seen of them. This helps a lot with correctly detailing my K-11.

[@jameshafner1442]

I've got one of those kits, too. I'm thinking the same thing. It's a shame they didn't do a J-3 Hudson in their line. And a Mohawk, and a Niagara...

[@sparks1504]

absolutely fantastic

[@buddyboy1953]

What a great video, thank you !!

[@tetekofa]

Outstanding footage!!!!!!!!!

[@mikeohlinger9094]

Awesome Video Thanks Happy New Year.

[@gilv4889]

That GoPro action is amazing!

[@R-Road]

11:20 This is probably one of the oldest recordings of a US&S Teardrop railroad crossing bell!

[@RickJando]

This is a great video, thank you.

[@aaronwoodard1749]

Great video!

[@Bodgemiester]

Loved this, like stepping back in time

[@vincentzablocki4930]

The yard taken from the top of the bluff was in Weehawken, NJ. Today it is the location of the Port Imperial Ferry terminal which takes commuters across to New York City. The view would be up from what is now Blvd. East in West New York, NJ. Back then, not only was there the large freight with car floats across to the west side of Manhattan but the New York Central also had a passenger terminal there for the commuter trains that ran north on the West Shore (also known as The River Line). The trains ran through a long tunnel that would go under the area around 48th street and come out into the North Bergen Yard. Today, New Jersey Transit has a light rail line running through that tunnel.

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@Martin.]

Very good vid👍thank you for sharing

[@Thomas1980]

wow..... nice old Film! great! i like it

[@waynebowen8872]

Amazing footage, 1920's gopro's are awesome

[@petercrowl9467]

Do you see what's missing? Graffiti

[@Dogvinity]

Invented in 1949. ;-)

[@sakomeow]

sadly, spraypaint wasn't developed until 1950. i would have loved to see late 1920's graffiti.

[@Evan60020]

Spray paint cans weren't around back then I bet.

[@JeffDeWitt]

I see that as a big plus. Anyone who sprays crap on other people's property should be forced to spend serious time cleaning it up.

[@JeffDeWitt]

@@sakomeow Have you ever heard of Boldt Castle in upstate New York? It was partly completed and then stood empty for many years (sad story). In one of the rooms there is some VERY old graffiti. When I saw it I assumed it was recent, but then I saw some of the dates. They show a bit of it in this video but there is some much older graffiti.. and it really is an amazing place. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ap-naWmha5iqacU

[@darioinfini]

90 years from now we'll all be dead and someone will be looking at videos of pictures I took. I hope they look on them as favorably and nostalgically as I look at these videos.

[@marutiranajanpani6284]

Good to see the old video

[@Raptorman0909]

The final scene looks like Cold Spring looking up Main Street.

[@Conductor2]

The baggage car in that scene is Boston & Albany. Would that equipment have been used along the Huston Division?

[@TheNortheastAl]

Raptorman0909 exactly my thought. Long before the river walk.

[@jayuihlein1664]

Awesome! I felt like I was on board. Great history here.